On 19-Jun-2005, Frederick Burroughs wrote:

You could have a sharkskin textured slipover designed for your kayak,
similar to the swim wear worn by some athletes. In designer colors
and patterns, it is worn by your kayak to increase speed and get
envious stares.

The Thorpedo no longer wears a full sharkskin swimsuit but hasn't
slowed down. There is a significant number of folks who believe
these sharkskin suits had more to do with psychology than speed.

Research on texturing the hulls of sailboats has found that there
is no advantage unless the vessel is sailed on a single tack
with specific conditions. What makes the hull fast in one
configuration doesn't work in another.

Mike